Breaching the Walls
by PJ in NH
Summary: AU P/T Story...After breaking Carey's nose, B'Elanna doesn't achieve the rank of Chief Eng. The P/T romance blossoms thanks to a hike on the holodeck and a little intervention from Joe Carey.


  
  
Summary: Alternate Universe fluff story -- after breaking  
Carey's nose, B'Elanna didn't achieve the rank of Chief Engineer.   
Tom and B'Elanna's romance blossoms thanks to a little hike on  
the holodeck and a little intervention from Joe Carey.  
  
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Voyager and its characters. I've only  
borrowed the characters to satisfy my own creative urges.  
Archiving is okay, just e-mail me. Please keep disclaimer and my  
name attached.   
  
Special thanks to my beta readers: Jan M. Isabelle S., Amanda B.,  
Lesa, and Chris R.  
  
  
BREACHING THE WALLS   
PG-13 6/98  
by PJ in NH (kelhapam@lr.net)  
  
  
Prologue - A few days after entering the Delta Quadrant  
  
"You're sure you're alright with this Joe?" the Captain asked him  
as he  
sat across the table from her in the ready room.   
  
"I guess I'll have to be won't I?" he responded obviously not at  
all alright with the situation.   
  
Chakotay spoke up trying to smooth several ruffled feathers.   
"I'm sure once you see what a good engineer she is, you too will  
agree that she will be the best one for the job."  
  
"But, you will consult with me before this happens," Carey  
confirmed looking at the Captain, purposefully ignoring the  
tattooed man that sat next to her.   
  
"You can be sure of it. I'll talk to you first, but remember I'm  
Captain and I make the final decision. Dismissed." she said  
firmly to which Carey nodded in agreement as he got up to leave.  
  
After he had exited the door, the First Officer turned to  
Janeway. "He'll come around, you'll see. B'Elanna may have a  
few rough edges that's an understatement, but she is one hell  
of an engineer -- she gets things done."   
  
"I don't question that she can get things done, Chakotay. I have  
to question if she can get things done without the rest of the  
engineering crew jumping ship."  
  
  
Chapter 1- The Repast  
  
One year later.  
  
It was happening again and she hated it every time. All it took  
was one look and she could feel her skin start to flush and heat  
up and before long she was blushing from her collar line to her  
hairline. Her mother had always told her it was a weak human  
trait inherited from her father's side of the family. She  
thought about the disgust expressed on her mother's face every  
time her emotions betrayed her as she crawled under the console  
near the communications station on the bridge to perform a needed  
repair. Maybe under here he wouldn't see her and he would forget  
that she had come to the bridge today, she reasoned. But an hour  
and a half later after the repair had been made and she crawled  
out from beneath the console those same penetrating blue eyes  
locked onto her and she could feel the heat rise across her face  
again.   
  
"Damn, him," she muttered in Klingon to herself as she stormed  
into the turbolift and the doors slid shut. With relief, she  
leaned against the far wall as it descended toward Engineering.   
Why him? She couldn't figure it out. She had never been  
attracted to his kind before. She had always preferred dark-  
haired men with dark eyes, so she couldn't understand why her  
heart tap danced whenever she was around him. Stop it, B'Elanna,  
she reminded herself. The last time you were interested in  
someone, make that *every time* you were interested in someone,  
it always turned out that all they wanted was one thing, to use  
you, discard you, and brag. They were all a bunch of petaQs, so  
why would Tom Paris be any different. After all hadn't Chakotay  
and others warned her against him and told her he was a spoiled  
rich boy, murderer, traitor . . . the list just went on and on  
and none of it was any good. So why was she interested? She  
didn't have an answer for that. Considering everything, weighing  
everything in balance, she should hate the man, a man apparently  
without honor. But one item weighed more than all the others  
combined, it was the way he had talked to her in that Vidiian  
prison and since then when they had occasionally met, he was so  
sweet, seemed so sincere, that maybe, maybe she thought -- maybe  
she hoped, things could be different.   
  
  
"What was that all about?" Harry asked his friend with the blue  
eyes as the turbolift doors closed taking its precious passenger  
with it.  
  
Casting a well-practiced innocent expression his way, Tom  
replied, "who knows, Harry, women they're all the same."  
  
They may be all the same, Harry thought, but ever since that away  
mission when B'Elanna Torres had been split into two -- one  
human and one Klingon, Tom couldn't keep his eyes off the young  
engineer.   
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
B'Elanna finally reached Engineering and reported back in with  
Lieutenant Carey, that was one thing she had to credit to her  
Klingon heritage. She was doing well after they came on board  
Voyager -- well at least for a little while -- but then in one  
split second and one broken nose later she had thrown all hopes  
of becoming Chief Engineer out the porthole and had been lucky to  
be granted the rank of Lieutenant J.G. Not only did she  
disappoint herself but she had disappointed the First Officer,  
her former Maquis captain, who had spoke on her behalf to the  
Captain, and that hurt her worse of all.  
  
"All done, Lt. Torres?" Lt. Carey, Chief Engineer, asked as she  
entered his office.  
  
"Yes, sir. All set."  
  
"Great, I'm sure you did a good job. That's all for today.   
You're dismissed. I'll see you tomorrow morning."  
  
"Are you sure? Don't we have power couplings that need to be  
realigned?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, but they can wait . . ."  
  
"I'll do it," she said quickly as she grabbed her tool kit and  
exited the office.  
  
Carey just sat back in his chair and shook his head like a parent  
would do when confronted with a child that tried too hard to  
please. "Poor B'Elanna, she's got more energy and talent than  
she knows what to do with, I wonder if she could lend me some,"  
he said out loud running this fingers over the bridge of his  
nose. The same nose that she had broken months ago -- the same  
nose that Samantha Wildman swore now possessed a roughish charm  
that she couldn't resist, break and all. Women, go figure! And  
B'Elanna Torres, who would have thought that his feelings toward  
her would have changed so much over the last year. Sure she had  
saved the ship countless times with her skill and ingenuity in  
engineering, but it was more than that he now generally liked the  
half-Klingon.  
  
B'Elanna though wasn't thinking that she needed something to do  
just to expel excess energy, she was thinking that if she was  
busy she would avoid the rush hour at the mess hall and thus  
avoid those beautiful blue eyes again. One episode, no make that  
two episodes of blushing were two too many for one day and one  
half-Klingon.   
  
So Lt. Torres took her time and realigned the power couplings and  
double and triple checked them to make sure they were working  
properly before she called it a day. She then headed to the mess  
hall two hours past the normal dinner rush hour just as she had  
planned. When she arrived, the dining area was empty, even  
Neelix had left for the evening leaving a couple of items warming  
on the side table for late arrivers. So B'Elanna picked up her  
tray and walked over to select from what remained from the  
evening meal.  
  
"If I were you, I'd avoid the Talaxian Casserole today," a voice  
piped up behind her and she could feel those same penetrating  
blue eyes looking at her as they had on the bridge and she could  
feel herself blushing all over again. Betrayed again my some  
stupid human gene. Some plan, she thought and now I don't even  
have a crowded mess hall to hide in.   
  
"Ah . . . ah th--thanks," she stammered as she opted for the  
other choice the standby leola root stew.   
  
"That's not much better, in fact it's worse, how about letting me  
treat you to a replicated meal, Lieutenant?" Tom Paris offered.  
  
"No that's okay, I'll just . . ." she started to say as she once  
again reached for the ladle that was in the pot of stew but was  
prevented from raising it when Paris' hand came down on top of  
hers to stop her.   
  
"Really I insist, I could use some company and I don't think I  
could bear seeing you eat those ah-hem culinary creations," he  
said as he graciously took her by the arm and steered her toward  
the replicators. "So what will it be, lasagne or some Klingon  
speciality?"  
  
"La . . . lasagne will be fine, actually I never developed a  
taste for food that moved," she reluctantly admitted. "Thanks."  
  
"My pleasure. Why don't you get us something to drink and find  
us a seat and I'll collect our meal. Okay?"  
  
How had this happened, she wondered as she filled two glasses  
with fruit juice and chose a table in the corner of the room for  
their meal. Despite her plans, she was alone in the mess hall  
with the man of her dreams. Just take it easy B'Elanna, she  
cautioned herself,you can get through this.  
  
Tom joined her shortly. "For you mi'lady," he said and with a  
flourish deposited her meal, complete with a green salad and a  
slice of garlic bread, in front of her with the aplomb of an  
experienced waiter and placed his own plate down on the table  
across from her. Then, just when she thought that he would sit  
down and join her, he plunked a vase containing a single apricot  
rose in the middle of the table.   
  
This was too much B'Elanna thought. Even though she hadn't been  
prepared to share a meal with the handsome lieutenant, she knew  
if she tried hard she could get through it, but the flowers on  
the table was a little too much, a little too much like a date.  
  
"Flowers?" she questioned.  
  
"Actually flower, my replicator credit balance didn't stretch to  
flower-s," he explained stressing the 's' in the word.  
  
"But, Paris, this is the mess hall. What if someone were to come  
in, what would they think?"  
  
"I imagine they would think what a lucky man I am to be dining  
with such a lovely lady," he replied smoothly. Her only response  
to that statement was to roll her eyes up toward the ceiling  
which was accompanied by a slight growl of disgust. "What? You  
don't think so?" he asked but got no response. "So you tell me  
if someone were to come in here and see us, what would they  
think?"  
  
"They'd think . . . think that . . ."  
  
"They'd think what B'Elanna?" he prompted.  
  
"They'd think that Paris must be hard up eating with someone as  
ug . . ." she started to say but was stopped when he placed two  
fingers over her luscious lips.  
  
"Don't say that B'Elanna, it's not true, you're not ugly. In  
fact, I'd say you're the most stunning, exotic, beautiful woman  
on the ship, and I'm very grateful that you're willing to share   
a table with little ol' me," he said before he removed his  
fingers.  
  
"You're doing it again," she snarled as she started again to  
blush, the touch of those long fingers of his to her lips had  
been incredible. It took all her control not to kiss them, to  
nibble them.  
  
"Doing what?" he said with complete innocence.  
  
"Making me blush," the young engineer blurted out.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Klingons, even half-Klingons, don't blush!" she told him and  
grabbed her fork as if she were planning to use it as a weapon  
and dropped her head down so he couldn't see her reddening face.  
  
"Says who?" he asked and when she didn't answer he reached across  
the table and removed the fork from her clenched fist and placed  
it on the table. He then cupped her chin in the palm of his hand  
in an effort to tilt her head up so he could look into her eyes,  
but she shook her head out of his hand and dropped her gaze down  
even further to the floor.   
  
Looking around to make sure they were still alone so he wouldn't  
embarrass her even more, he rose from his chair and walked around  
to the other side of the table and knelt in front of her so he  
could look up into her face. What he saw surprised him, as two  
tears spilled out of her lovely brown eyes and coursed their way  
down her cheeks. "B'Elanna, says who?" he asked ever so softly,  
ever so tenderly.  
  
"My mother," she replied simply as she brushed away the wetness  
roughly with the back of her hand.  
  
Damn her mother. "B'Elanna there is nothing wrong with   
blushing, it's something you can't control. In fact, I think it  
is quite endearing -- particularly on you. Now me, that's  
another story."  
  
"You?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah, me. Can't help it. The same complexion that won't allow  
me to get a sun tan is the same one that makes me blush so well.   
And, I bet I can blush better than you can, I've been known to  
work my way right up to a true scarlet red in a matter of mere  
seconds on occasion," he challenged puffing out his chest in mock  
pride. To which B'Elanna responded with a half-smile.   
  
"My cousin Beatrice . . ."  
  
"Beatrice?"  
  
"That's another story. Anyway, Beatrice was about five years  
older than me. When I was young she and her parents visited out  
house quite a bit. All she had to do was talk to me about my  
blushing and that would be enough to get me red from head to toe.   
She always knew what buttons to push."  
  
"You're kidding?"  
  
"Nope," he replied, "I swear it's true."  
  
"That's something I'd like to see."  
  
"Not if I can help it. So do you feel better?" She nodded.   
"Good, now let's eat before it gets cold. Okay?"  
  
  
After the meal, which was eaten with a liberal dose of humorous  
jokes and stories by the pilot, the two finally left the mess  
hall.   
  
"Would you mind if I walked you back to your cabin, B'Elanna?"  
  
"That's probably not a good idea. What if Megan saw us?"  
  
"So, what if she did see us?"   
  
"Well she might think something was going on, and you wouldn't  
want that."  
  
"I wouldn't?"  
  
"No. She'd probably get mad. After all, aren't you two still  
seeing each other."  
  
"Actually no, she's seeing Ted Winouski."  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"Since I fixed her up with him about three months ago."  
  
Three months ago, she thought, that was about the time they  
returned from . . . Stop it B'Elanna, he couldn't possibly care  
for you. It's just a coincidence. He's just feeling sorry for  
you. Either that or maybe he thinks if he's smooth enough that  
you'll let him . . .   
  
"I forgot, ah . . . I left something unfinished back in  
engineering," she lied.  
  
"I'll go with you then."  
  
"It will probably take a while. Thanks anyway and thanks for  
dinner," she said as she turned and sprinted down the corridor  
toward the nearest turbolift.  
  
"Ah, B'Elanna, Engineering is down that corridor," Tom called  
after her indicating the left corridor with a nod of his head.  
  
B'Elanna relented and with a grumble on her lips, turned to  
retrace her steps. As she walked past Tom, an old habit reared  
its ugly head, and he quickly reached his arm out and drew her  
toward him and into a quick kiss. And just as quickly,  
B'Elanna's fist connected with an upper cut to his jaw and Mr.  
Paris was lying flat on his back staring up at the ceiling. He  
could hear her stomping away mumbling something about 'all men  
being the same' and a few choice words and phrases he didn't  
understanding, obviously Klingon. She was definitely a  
challenge, but worth it, he mused lying there. He wasn't sure  
what it was about B'Elanna Torres that intrigued him so, but he  
was determined to find out. He was going to find out what she  
was really like beyond the walls that she erected around herself.   
Of course, Tom forgot that for him to breach her walls that he  
might have to knock down a few of his own.  
  
Chapter 2 - The Matchmaker  
  
A long two weeks had passed, and the jaw had long since healed.   
It was amazing how a pilot could injure himself exiting a  
shuttlecraft, which was the excuse he provided the Holodoc when  
he had inquired about the injury. He had only seen B'Elanna  
briefly, at least during the day, a glimpse or two in the mess  
hall, occasionally he would pass her in the hallway, once they  
even shared a silent two-minute ride in the turbolift, but at  
night in his dreams he saw her every night. In those dreams, she  
was confident, sure of herself and her combined heritage -- a  
warrior woman and a sensitive soul combined in one which equaled  
one powerful, irresistible combination to one pilot.  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
"Tom? Tom! HEY, TOM! It's your turn."  
  
"Ah sorry, Harry," the pilot replied as he grabbed the pool stick  
and approached the table. With a sure and accurate shot, Paris  
sank the remaining three balls that were left. "Another game?"  
he asked as he pocketed a couple of replicator rations he had  
just won.  
  
Damn even when his friend wasn't paying attention he could still  
beat him, Kim thought shaking his head in dismay. "Nope, sorry  
you wiped me out. How about we just have a couple of cold ones  
and some talk?"  
  
"Sounds good, my treat."  
  
The two friends ordered their drinks and found a table along the  
back wall.  
  
"So who is she?" Harry asked knowing full well that since their  
return from the Vidiian prison Tom couldn't keep his eyes off Lt.  
Torres but Harry opted to play ignorant.  
  
"Who's who?"  
  
"Who are you seeing?" he asked his friend knowing that it had  
been a few months since he had broken off with Megan and also  
knowing that the pilot never remained unattached for very long.  
  
"No one," he replied, which was the truth even though if the  
pilot had his way it would be different.  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
Something needs to be done, Joe Carey thought as he reviewed  
all he had witnessed over the last couple of weeks, he had been  
patient long enough. Unbeknownst to a certain pilot and  
engineer, he had been watching and noticing the looks that both  
of them gave the other. While the pilot expressed his interest  
more blatantly, B'Elanna opted for the subtle approach steeling  
glances at him from under her thick, dark eyelashes. But, the  
familiar romantic tension was there and Carey could see it, and  
being a matchmaker by heart felt that the two needed a little  
nudge to get things going.   
  
B'Elanna was just finishing up in Engineering when Joe Carey  
approached her.  
  
"Lt. Torres, I have a couple of things to do, will you please see  
that Lt. Paris gets this padd this evening?"  
  
B'Elanna looked around hoping that someone else would volunteer  
for the assignment. "Ah . . . sure," she said, noticing that it  
was apparently her or no one, as she hesitantly took the padd.  
  
"It's information on the repairs to the helm control we made late  
this afternoon, he should review the material before his shift  
starts tomorrow morning," he explained. "I believe you'll find  
Lt. Paris in Holodeck Two. Thanks, I appreciate it."  
  
Great, she thought, Holodeck Two, that pool/bar program of  
Paris'. I'll just pop in and give him the padd and leave. I can  
do that, after all it's just business.  
  
  
They continued to sip their drinks and talk drifted into other  
areas, when the door to Sandrine's slid open and shut again.  
  
B'Elanna looked around the room and finally located Tom at a back  
table he was sharing with Harry Kim. She was about to start to  
walk to the table when Jenny Delaney, Megan's sister, beat her to  
it.  
  
"Tommy, there you are," Jenny gushed as she ran her fingers  
though his hair. "Come teach me to play pool, pleeeasse."  
  
Tom turned his head to address her when he noticed that B'Elanna  
was in the room and looking at them. "Ah, not now Jenny, maybe  
later."  
  
"How much later?" Jenny whined with a well-practiced pout.  
  
"How about . . . hey, look isn't that Max Johnson over there, I  
think he's looking for you," Tom fibbed.  
  
"Oh not, not him. You didn't see me, I'm invisible and I'm out  
of here," she sputtered and quickly left trying not to be noticed  
though she almost knocked B'Elanna down in the process.  
  
B'Elanna, padd in hand, hesitantly approached Tom and Harry's  
table not noticing the lecherous looks she was receiving by a  
couple of men at the bar.   
  
"Lt. Paris, Lt. Carey asked me to give you this padd so you can  
review it before your shift tomorrow morning," she explained.  
  
"Thanks. B'Elanna why don't you join us?" Tom offered as he took  
the padd with one hand and patted the seat next to him with his  
other.  
  
"Ah, no, that's alright."  
  
"Come on," Harry said. "Sit down, Maquis."  
  
"Well maybe, but just for a minute," she said resigned to having  
to spend at least a little time with the pair so she wouldn't  
create a scene and have any unnecessary attention called to her  
presence.  
  
"Watch it Paris, you'll get frostbite!" warned one of the men at  
the bar.  
  
Upon hearing them B'Elanna face took on a wooden appearance, but  
she was determined that she wouldn't say anything, she would  
control the Klingon side of her emotions. She'd just pretend not  
to hear them. The last time her emotions got the better of her  
she broke Joe's nose.   
  
But Paris heard and didn't like what was said. "Wilkins who let  
you out of your cage tonight?" the pilot asked as he rose from  
his seat and approached the bar. "Didn't anyone ever tell you  
it's not nice to speak to a lady that way, let alone one who  
could rip off both of your arms?"  
  
"Get out of my face Paris, just who do you think you are to order  
me around, you're nothing but the Captain's pet."  
  
That was all it took. Paris grabbed the taller, bigger man by  
the front of his uniform with one hand and landed an upper cut to  
the side of his face. But Wilkins had the advantage being three  
inches taller and forty pounds heavier all of which was muscle.  
With three well-placed punches to Tom's jaw, chest, and abdomen  
Tom ended up on the floor. He was trying to shake off the  
ringing in his head when he heard a few Klingon curses, a couple  
of thumps, and the rest of the crowd in the bar cheer. B'Elanna  
and her Klingon heritage made quick work of the jerk, he was  
proud of her. Wilkins would probably think twice before he  
insulted her again.  
  
The next thing Tom knew Harry was behind him pulling him to his  
feet and muttering something about Sickbay and that Wilkins got  
what was coming to him. Then he noticed B'Elanna looking down at  
Wilkins and then turning her head to look at him and when she  
noticed the attention she was receiving from the bar patrons and  
she turned and fled Sandrine's.   
  
"I've got to go Harry, I've got to talk to her," Tom said as he  
tried to pull away from Harry's hold on him.  
  
"Yeah, you've got to go to Sickbay and let the Doc look at those  
ribs . . ."  
  
"No, I've got to . . ."  
  
"Ensign Kim to Sickbay, three to beam in."  
  
  
A half-an-hour later, Tom had convinced the EMH that he would  
take it easy and gratefully left Sickbay to find B'Elanna.  
  
"Computer, location of Lt. Torres."  
  
"Lt. Torres is in Jeffries Tube No. 93," came the response.  
  
"Computer state exact location of Jeffries Tube No. 93," he asked  
in exasperation, to which the computer supplied him with the  
correct level and deck location.  
  
  
  
"Here it is," he murmured to himself and he turned the handle to  
open the door to JT93. After crawling in a ways and grumbling to  
himself that the tubes had to be designed by a masochist, he  
could hear the sounds of metal on metal up ahead. As he got  
closer, he could tell that it wasn't the sounds of someone  
working as much was the sound of someone working who was upset.   
When he finally found B'Elanna, she was sitting with her back  
facing him hitting a metal object into submission with an  
electronic spanner and he could hear certain Klingon words  
amongst the clamor.  
  
"B'Elanna? . . . .B'Elanna!?" he said announcing his presence but  
with the noise of her hammering he couldn't be heard. Finally,  
he was right behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.   
It was a good thing his reflexes were quick because upon feeling  
his touch she spun around spanner in hand and if he hadn't ducked  
he would have been back paying the Doctor another visit.  
  
"How DARE you sneak up on me!" she roared and dropped her raised  
hand holding spanner to her side.  
  
"I didn't mean to sneak up on you, B'Elanna, you just couldn't  
hear me with all this racket. What the hell did that . . . ah .  
. . what-ever-it-is ever do to you anyway?"   
  
"It's a manifold coupling that won't loosen, if you must know!"   
Her Klingon half at that moment was overwhelming the human half  
which at that moment would have opted to dissolve in tears of  
frustration.  
  
"Come on, I know it wasn't much of a joke, but I'm under  
pressure."  
  
"Pressure?"  
  
"Yeah, I desperately trying to think of anything to say to get  
you to calm down and maybe get you to smile."  
  
"Well, that's going to take a lot of effort," she replied through  
clenched teeth.  
  
"B'Elanna I came down here to say 'thank you' for taking care of  
Wilkins."  
  
"You're not upset?" she asked in amazement.  
  
"Upset about what, that he didn't have a chance to punch me a few  
more times or that I was stupid enough to punch him first?"  
  
"No, upset that I . . ."  
  
"That you thought enough of me to protect me? How could I ever  
be upset about that?"  
  
B'Elanna didn't know what to say. The men she had known in the  
past would have been ashamed if a woman, even a half-Klingon  
woman, had fought their battles. This Tom Paris was certainly an  
enigma she mused, as she turned to her task once more raising the  
in the air for another volley.  
  
"Ah, B'Elanna, I just had an idea." The spanner stopped at the  
top of the arc. "I've been working on a holodeck program and I  
thought maybe you'd like to see it. It's not done yet, but it's  
not bad. In fact maybe you could help me finish it."  
  
"Holodeck program? Isn't that something like asking a girl to  
your cabin to show her your etchings?"  
  
"Ouch, that hurt, you wound me," he said as he brought his hand  
up to his chest in a mock expression of pain, "and besides I'd  
never show anyone my etchings, my flight maneuvers maybe, but not  
etchings," he concluded with a guilty grin which caused the  
corners of her mouth to involuntarily rise. "Trust me, B'Elanna,  
you'll like it and I promise to be a perfect gentleman. Here,"  
he said as he offered her his hand, "come with me and see for  
yourself."  
  
She wanted to touch his hand so much and to go with him. But  
should she? Hadn't Chakotay and the rest of the Maquis and even  
some Starfleeters warned her about him and told her to stay away?  
  
"Come on B'Elanna, did I let you down with the Vidiians? Trust  
me," he pleaded as he extended his hand to hers. "What's the  
matter, is your Klingon half afraid?"  
  
"Hardly," she responded and seized his hand her hers and followed  
him out of the Jeffries tube.  
  
  
Chapter 3 - The Hike  
  
  
Now remember, I'm still working on this one. It still needs a  
little tweak here than there. Computer activate program Paris  
Outdoors Beta Three."   
  
The door of the holodeck slid opened to reveal a lovely grassy  
green hillside edged with tall conifer trees and punctuated with  
wild flowers under a brilliant blue sky.  
  
"It's this way," he explained as he took her by her hand and led  
her up the hillside and headed for an opening among the trees.   
  
She followed him through the path in the woods walking on a well-  
trod path. Gradually the terrain changed becoming more steep and  
rocky. When they finally reached the first rest stop in their  
hike he noticed that B'Elanna Torres was actually smiling, which  
made him return the smile as this was exactly what he had hoped  
to accomplish.   
  
"I take it you like it, you approve?" he asked.  
  
She nodded her head. "How did you know? I don't think I ever  
told anyone."  
  
"How did I know what?" he asked confused by her response.  
  
"Who told you that I used to go here on weekends when I was at  
the Academy to get away. I can't tell you how many times I've  
hiked this trail. It is the Crestwood Trail isn't it?"  
  
"Well yes it is. But no one ever told me you knew this place. I  
thought it was only something I knew about. You see I spent a  
lot of time here as well."  
  
"It must have been before I entered the Academy," she surmised.   
  
"Probably, about the time you started I had graduated."  
  
"Let's go I've got to see if you included my favorite view," she  
said excitedly as she made the effort for the first time to grab  
him by the hand which he took willingly and followed her further  
up the trail.   
  
They walked a little ways when B'Elanna came to a sudden stop.   
"Tom, you didn't include the patch of wild flowers. Don't you  
remember they were right here," she said pulling him along so he  
could see. "They were right here next to his rock."  
  
'Tom,' she had called him 'Tom' not 'Paris' though she probably  
hadn't even realized it, he thought. "Well tell the computer to  
fix it, B'Elanna."  
  
She looked up at him for confirmation of his request.   
  
"Go ahead, I've programmed the computer to accept your  
alterations," he reassured her.  
  
She grinned with glee, like a child who had been given just what  
she wanted for Christmas, and nodded. "Computer, create a patch  
of alpine wild flowers approximately three meters wide by two  
meters long in an irregular shape," she ordered and in a flash a  
patch of multicolored wild flowers were created next to the rock  
which she looked upon with satisfaction. She looked up into  
Paris' bright blue eyes. "Thanks."  
  
"Anytime, B'Elanna. Anything for you," he replied with complete  
sincerity noting the confused but happy look on her bronze face.  
  
  
Their hike continued, he reminded her of certain rocks and trees  
and she complimented him on the program noting occasional  
inconsistencies and remarking on items that he had included that  
she hadn't remembered.  
  
After about another hour of walking they walked around a boulder  
and B'Elanna squealed with delight sounding more like a ten-year-  
old than a Lieutenant. "Oh, you didn't forget!" she said  
excitedly as she let go of his hand and crawled up on top of the  
boulder and from there pulled herself up upon a nearby ledge. He  
followed her glowing on the inside by the change in her since  
they entered the holodeck. "Oh, Tom, this is probably my most  
favorite place of all," she said as she reached a point on the  
ledge on the other side of the boulder and sat down with a sigh.  
  
"I'm glad I remembered it," he said, but how could he have  
forgotten it, he had spent countless hours on the very same ledge  
reading, sleeping, thinking of his future, thinking of ways to  
avoid having to go home.  
  
"Oh, but you forgot something," she said with a twinge of  
disappointment in her voice.  
  
"What?" he asked he was sure that he had included every little  
detail in this part of the hike.  
  
"The view. The view isn't the same. See you remembered that far  
away mountain range." she said pointing over to her right. "And  
you included the view of the ocean," she added pointing to her  
left. "And you even remembered the orchards and the view of the  
horse ranch. But you didn't include that white building with the  
red roof over on that far hillside," she concluded pointing that  
direction.  
  
"What's one building?" he asked.  
  
Should she tell him, would it be revealing too much? Be brave  
B'Elanna, she admonished herself. "It's silly, really. It is  
beautiful even without the building, but . . . "  
  
"But what B'Elanna?"  
  
"Well you see I used to bring my homework from the Academy up  
here with me and study on the weekends. And when I needed to  
take a break, I used to look out at the view and daydream. I  
used to imagine climbing those mountains -- how it would be to  
sail on the ocean. I used to wonder how the people lived that  
had horses and how they took care of them. And then I used to .  
. . oh, I'm sorry it's really stupid, You don't want to . . ."  
  
"I do want to know B'Elanna, tell me. I promise, I won't tell  
anyone, promise."  
  
"Alright, but I warned you, and if you laugh I could forget what  
a good mood I'm in." She was in a good mood she realized, maybe  
the best mood she had been in for a long time all courtesy of one  
Tom Paris, God's Gift to Women and Best Pilot in the Delta  
Quadrant. She grinned a little at that thought and continued.   
"I used to look out at that large white house with the red roof,  
and four outbuildings . . ." He raised his eye brows at that  
comment. "Four outbuildings, I know I counted them more than  
once," she replied firmly defending her statement before  
continuing. "Oh, this really is silly, but remember you've been  
warned, I used to imagine what it was like living in such a  
lovely house. I thought that any family that lived in such a  
place had to be ideal, they had to be happy. I imagined that the  
mother was a teacher, the father was a doctor, and their children  
liked to play outside and climb trees and go exploring in the  
fields." She paused to see if he would respond, but as she  
looked into his face she was surprised by his reaction. His eyes  
appeared to have clouded over and it looked like he was a  
thousand lightyears away. "Tom? Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine." he finally replied.  
  
"I'm sorry, did I say something?" she asked concerned that she  
had ruined something special.  
  
"No, B'Elanna, it's not you, it's me. I'm just remembering  
things."  
  
"You were fine until I brought up that white house. Is it  
something to do with that? Did you know who lived there."   
  
He turned his back to her. This excursion had started out  
wonderful, but it had all of a sudden come to a crashing halt.   
"Let's go," he suggested and started to push away from her  
towards the boulder, but was prevented when she leaned forward  
and her hand clasped down upon his shoulder.   
  
"Tell me, Tom," she said simply as she crawled around and placed  
herself in front of him. His eyes met hers, their faces mere  
centimeters apart, and he knew in an instant that she would not  
take 'no' for an answer.  
  
"Yes, I knew who lived there. The mother wasn't a teacher,  
before she died was an historian specializing in the early 20th  
Century, the father wasn't a doctor he was an admiral in  
Starfleet, and . . ."  
  
"And what?"  
  
"And they had a son, a son who liked to go exploring, hiking, and  
wanted to fly to fly away, but could never live up to his  
father's expectations."  
  
"It sounds like you knew them very well," she said instinctively  
knowing what he would tell her next.  
  
"You could say that, I was that son, B'Elanna. That's why I spent  
so much time up here and why I excluded the house from the  
program," he explained softly, his voice almost a whisper. A  
large chunk of his wall fell down.   
  
"I had no idea," she offered her eyes focused on the crystal blue  
eyes opposite her as she moved a little closer to him. Please  
kiss me she thought. Please let me be brave enough to kiss him,  
to comfort him.  
  
"I know . . . " he started to say when he was gently kissed on  
his mouth by the full sensual lips of the half-Klingon engineer.  
  
"Oh, B'Elanna," he breathed and pulled her toward him. I should  
stop he thought. If this goes too far . . . but I want it so  
much, it's all I've dreamed about since the Vidiian mines. For  
a change though the head ruled the heart and he pulled away from  
her. "B'Elanna, you have no idea how much I want this to  
continue, but we shouldn't."  
  
"It's okay, Paris, I understand, I should have known better," she  
said brusquely as she snapped her head around. She should have  
known better she thought, why would someone as handsome as him  
want to kiss her.   
  
"B'Elanna, please don't turn away from me," he said as he pulled  
her around to face him once again and he could see the  
disappointment and humiliation in her chocolate brown eyes. "I  
want to kiss you. Hell, I want to do more than kiss you, but I  
don't want to rush into it. I care about you too much to not  
consider your feelings. I've done this before, acted on impulse  
and went too far, too fast, and it never worked out. I think we  
could have something special and I don't want to spoil it. Can  
you understand?"   
  
B'Elanna nodded her head. "Oh, I understand perfectly." She  
understood, he didn't want her, he regretted kissing her.  
  
Noticing the solemn look on her face. He tried to explain once  
again. "What I'd like to do, if you'd let me, is to properly  
court you and date you. Would you let me?"   
  
The half-Klingon looked into his face trying to see if she could  
tell if he was lying to her like Chakotay had always warned her  
about, but all she saw was an honest man.   
  
"Will you B'Elanna Torres, will you let me date you?"  
  
"If you're sure you really want to."  
  
"I've never been so sure about anything else in my whole life."  
  
"Then okay, I suppose . . ."  
  
"Okay? You mean it I can see you?!" he shouted.  
  
"I mean okay, we'll give it a try, but no one is to know. The  
last thing I need is for my friends to tell me they told me so.   
Can you understand?"  
  
"I understand perfectly. We'll keep it quiet. I promise. And  
B'Elanna I do really want to be with you."  
  
  
Chapter 4 - The Witnesses  
  
Three weeks later things were going well very well. While they  
hadn't progressed past the kissing and hugging stage they were  
very happy and their walls were becoming lower all the time.   
They'd meet 'by chance' in the mess hall or on the holodeck and  
no one seemed the wiser, or so they thought.   
  
Harry Kim though was very observant, particularly when it came to  
his two friends. He had noticed that the two just happened to be  
in each other's company a lot more than usual. He had also  
noticed the way the two of them glowed whenever in the other's  
company. Harry couldn't have been happier for the pair.   
  
It was too bad that the same couldn't be said for the First  
Officer. From the first day B'Elanna Torres had joined his  
Maquis cell, Chakotay had always kept an eye on her, he  
considered her his little sister. Just the week before, as the  
pair had exited the holodeck, he had noticed them kiss one  
another when they thought no one was looking, which did not make  
him happy at all. It was time he spoke with B'Elanna before this  
got totally out of control and she regretted it. What was it she  
could possibly see in Paris? he wondered. Could I be jealous of  
Tom Paris? No, not jealous -- just protective of my little  
sister.  
  
  
Breep  
  
"Come in," she responded to the door alarm.  
  
"Good evening B'Elanna, do you have time to talk?" he asked as he  
entered her quarters.  
  
"Of course, have a seat" she replied half-heartedly as in fifteen  
minutes she was due to meet Tom on the holodeck and go hiking up  
the Crestwood Trail, their favorite program.  
  
Chakotay took the offered seat on the sofa and patted a place  
next to him inviting her to join him. "Sit down B'Elanna."  
  
She said down with trepidation, she had a feeling that she was  
not going to like what he had to say.  
  
"B'Elanna, I am aware that you and Paris have been seeing each  
other. Don't deny it, I saw it myself."  
  
The half-Klingon didn't know what to say. They had been so  
careful, how had this happened?  
  
"I thought I told you all about Paris, I warned you to stay away  
from him. Didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, but . . ."  
  
"But you didn't listen to me. Didn't I tell you he was a drunk,  
a womanizer, a murderer, a traitor? Doesn't any of that matter?"  
  
"But, he's not like that, he's been good to me," she said  
defending Tom.  
  
Chakotay rose from the sofa and paced in frustration running her  
hands through his short black hair. "B'Elanna, can't you see a  
come-on. I'm telling you his kind only wants one thing. The  
only reason he's been good to you is that he sees you as a  
challenge. Damn it, didn't you learn anything from Carlos or  
Tanado?" he asked, his voice rising with anger. "I thought you  
trusted me, B'Elanna. Have I ever lied to you?"  
  
"No, you haven't," she answered sadly.  
  
"Then please stop this before it gets out of control. I'm  
telling you, he'll just use you and when he gets what he wants,  
he'll dump you, and you'll come crying to me just like before."  
  
Was he telling her the truth? Was Tom just playing her for a  
fool? Then she remembered Carlos and Tanado, both had courted  
her and pretended to be interested only to drop her after they  
achieved their desired goal. Klingon sex. Which both had said  
was sadly lacking. But then she thought of Tom, his blue eyes  
that could just as effectively express happiness or sadness,  
thought of all the hours that they had spent together, all the  
things they had talked about, and through it all he had been the  
perfect gentleman.  
  
"I'm sorry Chakotay. You know I respect you, but this time I  
know you're wrong," she said firmly.  
  
"I'm not wrong B'Elanna. You'll see. I've seen his kind before,  
they're nothing but trouble, they could never love anyone but  
themselves. They are raised with money and position and they  
think they can have it all, all the time and it doesn't matter  
who they hurt as long as they get what they want. You deserve  
someone better than Tom Paris."  
  
"You wrong this time and, Chakotay, I think it is time for you to  
go."  
  
"Okay, I'll leave, but you'll see I'm right."  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
Another day and another date with Tom. She was bound and  
determined not to let her conversation with Chakotay dampen her  
spirits today. Today, she and Tom had planned on exercising  
together in the gym -- very nonchalantly. It wasn't much of a  
date, but as long as Tom was there she didn't care what they did.   
  
B'Elanna was almost singing to herself as she stepped into the  
ship's gym clad in a two-piece red workout outfit and she had  
replicated for just the occasion. She greeted one of the ensigns  
from engineering who was just leaving and stowed her gym bag on  
the shelves near the entry door. She then walked around the  
corner where the treadmills were located. There before her she  
could see the blue-eyed pilot and God's Gift to Women half bent  
over with a pair of feminine arms entwined around his neck and  
his right arm encircled around her back. As the woman turned her  
head she could see that it was one of the Delaney sisters -- the  
sexy blonde one who had been in the bar -- Jenny wasn't it? Oh  
Kahless, Chakotay was right and there was the evidence right  
there in front of her eyes. Tom and Jenny, it certainly hadn't  
taken him long, not that she blamed him really when you could  
have Jenny Delaney why would he want her? Before they could see  
her and cause her further embarrassment, she retreated, grabbed  
her bag, and left the gym, headed for the sanctuary of her   
cabin.   
  
  
"Jenny, come on let me . . . breathe," he choked trying to  
release the blonde's death grip around his neck. "I'm sure it  
isn't broken."  
  
"But it hurts so much Tommy!" she wailed.   
  
"Let me call the Doc and he'll beam you down to Sickbay and check  
your ankle out?"  
  
"Will you come with me? Please?"  
  
"But Jenny . . ." Tom started to say . . . but what was he going  
to tell her 'Sorry Jenny but I've got a date with B'Elanna?' If  
B'Elanna ever found out he told anyone about their 'dates' he'd  
lose her for sure.'  
  
"Okay Jenny just until you get to Sickbay and then I'm coming  
right back.  
  
  
"Take good care of her Doc." Tom instructed the EMH.  
  
"Don't I always?"  
  
"Tommy, please stay . . ." Jenny begged as she sat on the biobed.  
  
"I'm sure the Doctor will fix you up as good as new, won't you  
Doc?" Tom said as he distanced himself from her until he reached  
the door to the Sickbay and stepped through it.  
  
Woosh -- the Sickbay door slid shut with a relieved Tom Paris on  
the other side who finally got rid of the clinging vine.  
  
Jogging through the corridor toward the gym, he tapped his  
commbadge. "Computer, location of Lt. Torres."  
  
"Lt. Torres is in her cabin," came the reply.  
  
Her cabin? Why wasn't she in the gym? Tom mused as he took a  
turn which led him to the nearest turbolift.   
  
"Deck Four," she ordered.  
  
Tom reached Lt. Torres' quarters and looking around to make sure  
he was alone, requested admission.   
  
"B'Elanna let me in."  
  
"Go away!"  
  
"B'Elanna let me in or I'll make sure everyone on Voyager hears  
me!"  
  
That's all it took. The door slid open and he stepped in just  
before it slid shut behind him.  
  
He knew she was in her cabin, but couldn't see her as the cabin  
was dark.   
  
"B'Elanna why didn't you show up at the gym like we planned?"  
  
"Tom, I made a mistake. I never should have agreed to see you --  
to date you," she said in a small voice so unlike the half-  
Klingon but the voice indicated that she was over by the  
viewport.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"They were right Tom, that's what I'm talking about. I just had  
to see it for myself. How do you think I feel being played for a  
fool? Now get out of here before I really get mad.   
  
"But B'Elanna tell me . . ."  
  
"OUT -- NOW!!!!" she roared throwing some heavy figurine toward  
the sound of his voice barely missing his head.  
  
"IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT FINE! I'M OUT OF HERE!" he yelled in  
retaliation and left her cabin, just before B'Elanna sank to the  
floor in tears.  
  
  
Chapter 5 - The Admission  
  
A despondent Tom sat at the conn piloting Voyager through a mass  
of asteroids of all shapes and sizes. Normally, he loved this  
type of challenge, it always put him in a good mood, but not  
today. In fact, ever since B'Elanna told him they were through  
two weeks ago he had been totally miserable. At first, he tried  
to figure out what he had done. Had he said something or done  
something to her? For the life of him, he couldn't figure it  
out. That is until he caught the first officer's eye about three  
days after the breakup. The look seemed to say 'you wanted her  
Paris, but you can't have her.' It was all he could do not to  
plant his fist up along side that blasted tattooed forehead for  
he assumed that the former Maquis captain had something to do  
with it.   
  
Harry looked on with concern as he had ever since that fateful  
day a couple of weeks ago. Something had happened, that was  
certain. He was sure they weren't seeing each other anymore.   
But why and who had broken it off?  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
Engineering was fairing quite when Joe Carey entered his domain  
about 0130 early the next morning. Gamma shift had begun about  
an hour and a half ago, which consisted of only a few engineers  
who all were scheduled to work on the upper level. Seeing that  
everything was going along smoothly, Joe decided to review some  
reports on a certain lieutenant in the quiet of his office when  
he noticed that same lieutenant's legs sticking out from under  
the warp core command console.   
  
Kneeling down beside her Joe asked, "B'Elanna, are you working  
double shifts again? I know you're in charge of the delta shift  
and you feel responsible, but you need your rest. Even miracle  
workers need to sleep," he told her thinking back to the week  
before when they had been attacked by an unnamed alien starship.   
If it hadn't been for B'Elanna's ingenuity and resourcefulness,  
they might all have been killed. He was Chief Engineer, her  
superior officer, but it wouldn't be long before she would  
deserve that title more than him. While Carey was a matchmaker,  
he was also a realist, he knew it was only a matter of time. In  
the past, it would have bothered him, but no longer -- now he  
just considered it inevitable. He was just considering this time  
she spent under his command as training until the time came when  
he would be proud to address her as 'Chief.'  
  
"I'm okay," she responded shortly and proceeded to crawl under  
another of the consoles to make another unnecessary repair.  
  
"B'Elanna come to my office, we need to talk," he requested.  
B'Elanna slowly pulled her body out from under the console and  
reluctantly joined him.  
  
  
"Coffee?" he asked as he motioned for her to take a seat.   
  
"No, thank you. What do you want?"  
  
"What do I want? There are a lot of things I want and some  
things I can't have Samantha Wildman for one, God he wanted her  
but he was still married, but so lonely," he responded  
cryptically. "B'Elanna, I have a feeling I know why you have been  
avoiding everyone and working all sorts of hours lately. But I  
want you to tell me."  
  
B'Elanna looked at him as if he had three heads. The Chief  
Engineer was asking her about her personal life? He had never  
done that before. "I'm sorry Chief, I just can't . . ."  
  
"This is off the record B'Elanna. I would like to consider us  
more than officers on Voyager but friends as well. Now I'm  
going to be blunt, but remember I don't want to hurt you, I want  
to help you." She nodded her head signifying it was okay for him  
to proceed. "You and Tom broke up didn't you?"  
  
"How did you know?" she asked. "No one knew we were together,  
except . . ."  
  
"Except who? Should I guess? Would he happen to be a Maquis  
officer with a certain facial decoration on his forehead?"  
  
She gazed at him with her mouth agape. Was this man psychic?   
  
"So you thought no one knew? Well, let me tell you something Lt.  
Torres, not much escapes my attention. I pride myself with being  
a people watcher, and I happen to be pretty good at it. If I had  
to take a guess I'd say that this Maquis officer didn't think too  
much of you and Tom being together and suggested that you break  
it off with him? Am I right?"   
  
He received no response, but the silence alone confirmed that he  
had been correct.   
  
"That Maquis officer is an idiot!"  
  
At that remark, B'Elanna's head snapped up. "He's not an idiot,  
he's just making sure I don't make a mistake," she said defending  
Chakotay. "And besides he was right."  
  
"He was right? Do you mean to tell me that you no longer have  
feelings for our blue-eyed pilot?"  
  
B'Elanna couldn't meet his eyes but instead looked at the sonic  
wrench she still held.  
  
"No? I thought not. And do you mean to tell me that from the  
way he's been moping around Voyager for the last two weeks that  
he doesn't care about you."  
  
B'Elanna snapped her head up. "Care about me? If he cared about  
me he wouldn't have . . ."  
  
"Wouldn't have what Lieutenant?"  
  
"He wouldn't have been hugging Jenny Delaney, that's what!"  
  
"And what does Tom have to say about this so-called embrace?"  
  
"Ummm . . . ah . . . he . . ." she stammered and once again  
focused on the tool she clutched tightly in her hands.  
  
"You didn't ask him did you?"  
  
"But . . . but Chakotay told me that this would happen," she said  
trying desperately to defend her actions and Chakotay's  
involvement.  
  
"Oh the Commander may mean well B'Elanna, but he wouldn't know if  
something was predestined if he hit him in the face for instance  
look at Chakotay and the Captain. Look you need to go and talk  
to Tom and get this out in the open. Things sometimes look  
different than they actually are. And if you need anyone to talk  
to and not pass judgement, then please come and see me. I'll do  
my best to not be biased and give you my honest opinion -- and if  
all else fails I may even let you slug me again," he finished  
with a grin on his face.  
  
B'Elanna couldn't help but mirror that grin on her own face.   
"Thanks Chief, I appreciate that."  
  
"It's Joe, B'Elanna, at least while we're off duty. Now, please  
get out of here and go get some sleep!"  
  
Lt. Torres left the Chief's office, and returned to her cabin,  
she had a lot of thinking to do.   
  
B'Elanna had no sooner left Engineering when Joe Carey was  
instructed to send someone from Engineering to accompany Tom  
Paris on an away mission the next day to a nearby planet in hopes  
of collecting some much needed aurithium. Joe knew just who he  
would send.  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
If anyone were to have witnessed the two officers prepare and  
load the shuttle for the away mission the following morning they  
would have been impressed by the intricate choreography entailed  
in their dance of avoidance. If one was inside stowing away gear  
or assembling the decontamination arch just inside the exit  
hatch, the other was sure to be outside checking on the condition  
of the craft making sure that it could withstand the conditions  
on the planet. Eventually though both knew they had to both be  
in the shuttle when it took off.   
  
  
"All strapped in Lieutenant?" Paris asked her just before launch.  
  
"Yes," was her sole clipped response.  
  
Eight hours later with hardly a handful of words exchanged  
between the pair, Paris made preparations to land on the barren  
planet.   
  
"Well, B'Elanna this looks like the garden planet of the Delta  
Quadrant," he stated as the shuttle touched down in a cloud of  
the red acidic dust.   
  
"Hummph!"   
  
"Look, B'Elanna, we could at least be civil to one another, we  
are going to be together for several more hours until Voyager  
rendezvous with us and I'm getting pretty tired of holding a one-  
way conversation. So let's clear the air."  
  
She raised guarded eyes toward him, remembering all the things  
that Chakotay and Carey had said and what she had seen in the  
gym.  
  
"I know you told me you didn't want to see me any more but could  
you at least take the time to tell me why? I really want to  
know," he asked casting beautiful blue puppy-dog eyes in her  
direction.  
  
She hesitated for a long while trying several times to voice her  
feelings until in exasperation she blurted out her thoughts.   
"Okay, I'll try to explain. You see Chakotay talked with me   
and . . ."  
  
"I should have known it!" he yelled interrupting her and launched  
himself out of his seat to pace the shuttlecraft in frustration  
with his hands on his hips.  
  
"Are you going to let me finish?" she asked.  
  
He replied with a nod.  
  
"He said that you . . . oh Kahless this is hard."  
  
"Let me guess," he said as he spun around to face her. "He told  
you I was the just about as low a man as they come, told you that  
I would use you and discard you without a second thought, that  
I'd never be able to love you like you deserve. Is that about  
right?"  
  
She just starred at him with her mouth agape for a moment before  
she found her voice. "Yes, that is just about what he said. But  
I defended you. I told him that he was wrong. But the next day  
I went to the gym and saw you and Jenny together. And don't tell  
me you weren't with her I saw it. You two were hugging each  
other."  
  
"Well let me tell you something Torres, I may have done some  
things in the past that I'm not proud of, I'll admit that, but  
I've paid my dues. I won't lie to you, B'Elanna, I was with  
Jenny. But if you had bothered to investigate a little further,  
you would have found out that Jenny twisted her ankle in the gym  
and she was hanging all over me while I was trying to get her to  
go to Sickbay. That woman is a leech at times."  
  
B'Elanna's only response was a low growl that seemed to say 'tell  
me another one helmboy.'  
  
Anyway, how can you possibly think I'd even look at another woman  
after I've been with you? Hell, B'Elanna don't you know that I'm  
head over heals in love with you? When you told me you didn't  
want to see me anymore, I damn near went insane! . . . But  
Chakotay was right about one thing, you do deserve someone better  
than me!" He paused and looked at her to see if she had  
understood what he had just said . . . did *he* even understand  
what he said -- he said he loved her. Where the hell had that  
come from? From his heart, that's where -- from his heart that  
had finally found another one that beat in time with his.   
  
He waited a short while but when she didn't respond, he tried to  
bury those feeling deep inside and concentrated on their mission.   
"Damn it, let's get this show on the road!" Paris finally  
exclaimed in frustration as he grabbed for their environmental  
suits, tossed one to her, and began to pull his on.   
  
B'Elanna silently pulled on her own. She wasn't prepared for his  
outburst and his declaration of love. Even if it were true, she  
reasoned, had they been together long enough or knew each other  
well enough for him to know?  
  
"Remember Torres, to allow yourself sufficient time upon entering  
the craft to decontaminate, the last thing we need is acidic dust  
in the shuttle. And be careful handling those rocks, those  
crystals embedded into the rocks are very sharp."  
  
She nodded her understanding. So that was it, one minute he was  
passionately defending his feelings and the next cold-hearted  
detachment. Just as well, she thought, before she could reply to  
what he had revealed, she had a lot of thinking to do.   
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
"You sent Paris and Torres out on a mission together?" he asked  
incredulously raising his voice as he sat down at the table  
across from the Captain in her office holding the duty roster in  
his hand.  
  
"I selected Paris and Carey assigned B'Elanna to the away  
mission. Why? Do you have a problem with that?" Janeway asked  
confused by the reaction on her First Officer's face.  
  
"It's just that, well you know," he said realizing that he had  
already said more than he had intended.  
  
Janeway poured herself her second cup of coffee of the morning  
and sat down next to her First Officer at the ready room table.   
"No, I don't know. Spill it Chakotay. What's going on that you  
don't want those two together on an away mission."  
  
"I've really said more than I should have," he remarked making a  
futile attempt at backpedaling.  
  
Janeway carefully sipped her still too hot coffee and returned  
the cup to the saucer. "Too late, you slipped up. Now tell me  
what is going on, or do I have to make it an order."  
  
"It's just that well Paris and B'Elanna have been seeing each  
other . . . "  
  
"That's great!" she said enthusiastically but noticed that the  
handsome man across from her didn't appear to share her  
sentiments, "Isn't it?"   
  
"They broke up two weeks ago."  
  
"So how come I hadn't heard about this before?"  
  
He hemmed and hawed a bit. "They were trying to keep it a  
secret."  
  
"How did you find out?"  
  
She had him cornered, "I've been noticing . . . I happened . .  
."  
  
"Have you been spying?" she asked point blank.  
  
"Ah . . . ah . . . that's not the point . . ."  
  
"You were." she accused as her eyes narrowed. She respected this  
man, but also knew that he still hadn't forgotten the animosity  
that he shared with the pilot and had yet to get over the habit  
of protecting the former Maquis engineer. "So do you want to  
tell me why they broke up, or would you like me to take a wild  
guess?"  
  
  
Chapter 6 - The Red Dust  
  
Decontamination procedure is complete. The computer announced  
just before B'Elanna stepped through the arch to join Paris in  
stowing the mineral-rich rocks in the cargo hold of the  
shuttlecraft.   
  
"Why don't you finish stowing these rocks away, and I'll go  
outside and make one more trip. I won't be long," he proposed.  
  
"Fine." She was going to do it, she decided, as soon as he came  
back she'd tell him that she had been wrong. If she was lucky,  
maybe he'd forgive her. Maybe he'd take her back. He was the  
best thing that ever happened to her, she didn't want to lose  
him.  
  
  
  
He reached down to pick up a couple more rocks in the midst of  
the swirling, mesmerizing red dust, it had gotten so thick during  
the last few minutes he could hardly see his hands in front of  
his face. Just one more rock and . . . "Damn!" The crystal  
protruding from the rock sliced a neat three-inch long gash in  
the palm of his hand. Immediately, he could feel the burning of  
the dust as it made contact with his skin. He could feel the  
searing pain as he inadvertently inhaled the dust into his lungs.   
As he collapsed to the ground, he could feel the minerals that  
were strewn on the ground puncture and cut his suit and uniform  
allowing more of the deadly dust inside. Tom desperately tapped  
his commbadge underneath his protective suit. "B'Elanna, I need  
hel . . ." were the last words uttered as darkness overtook him.  
  
"Tom, what's wrong!" she yelled into her own commbadge. She  
received no answer. "Computer transport Lt. Paris back to the  
shuttle."   
  
"Unable to comply with that request."  
  
"Why!"  
  
"The integrity of the transporter energy system has been affected  
due to . . ."  
  
"End transmission. Due to the acidic dust," B'Elanna finished  
the computer's reply as she hurriedly stepped back into her suit  
and pulled it up over her head. Apparently the dust was a lot  
more caustic than Voyager's initial scans had indicated.   
  
It's up to you, B'Elanna, you have to go get him. Damn! where  
were those rocks that he went back for? Where is he? Those  
thoughts, among others, screamed in her mind as she exited the  
craft. Over to the left? Yes that's where he was last, she  
determined as she switched on her wrist light which barely made a  
dent in the thick cloud of dust. After several agonizing  
minutes, she finally came upon his still form lying on the  
ground.   
  
"Tom!" she yelled as she turned him over and was mortified by the  
red blistering lesions that were already developing on his face,  
but she could also see the condensation that was developing on  
the inside of the face shield which indicated that he was still  
breathing. He was still alive and where there was life there was  
hope. Blessing the strength her Klingon half possessed, she  
grabbed the pilot under the arms and pulled him back toward the  
shuttle as quickly as she could.   
  
  
  
"Why does this have to take so long!" she yelled as she held him  
in front of her under the decontamination arch waiting for the  
'all-clear' signal from the computer.  
  
Decontamination procedure is complete.   
  
"It's about time," she muttered as she pulled him out of the arch  
and placed him on the cot and pulled off his face mask.   
  
"Computer, prepare Voyager for launch."  
  
"Unable to comply with that request."  
  
"Let me guess, the red dust," she spat at the computer.  
  
"Unable . . . "  
  
"Never mind!"  
  
"Computer, notify me when Voyager is within communication   
range."  
  
"Affirmative," came the reply.  
  
Thank Kahless, communications were still operational, she  
thought. B'Elanna briefly looked at Tom and was worried at how  
difficult it seemed to be for him to breathe, she then turned to  
find the medkit. She opened the box and grabbed the tri-ox  
compound hypospray and delivered a full dose into his neck and  
followed that with a dose of a pain reliever. B'Elanna then  
located a pair of scissors in the kit and gently began cutting  
and peeling away the environmental suit and his uniform from his  
body. She discovered much to her regret that there was hardly an  
area on his body that hadn't been affected by that damn red dust,  
with the areas of his body where the clothing had been cut and  
punctured being the worst. The dust seemed to have found its way  
into every little crevice which resulted in blisters and oozing  
painful sores all over his body. All she could think of as she  
covered him with a clean blanket was if his skin looked like this  
what did his lungs look like and how long could he keep on  
breathing?  
  
"Voyager is now within communications range," the computer  
announced.  
  
"Computer contact Voyager," B'Elanna ordered as she rummaged  
through the medkit looking for the dermal regenerator.   
Unfortunately there was only one, so she concentrated on the  
areas that were more severely affected.  
  
Acknowledged. Shuttlecraft Portsmouth contacting Voyager.   
Shuttlecraft Portsmouth contacting Voyager. Come in Voyager.   
  
"Voyager here," Harry Kim's voice chirped over the link.   
  
"Harry, it's B'Elanna, Tom's been exposed to the dust and needs  
immediate medical attention, what's your ETA?"  
  
"It's . . . ah . . . thirty-two minutes," he responded as  
Janeway, seated in the Captain's chair with Chakotay beside her,  
looked up with concern etched on her face.   
  
"B'Elanna, we're going to patch in a link with the Doctor, please  
tell us what Tom's injuries are," the Captain said. Harry nodded  
to her a few seconds later indicating that the EMH was listening.  
  
B'Elanna relayed the information about Tom's injuries. "I've  
administered a tri-ox compound, a pain reliever, and have begun  
using the dermal regenerator on him, but already the regenerator  
is losing power."  
  
"What are his symptoms?" the Doctor asked from Sickbay obviously  
concerned by what Torres had told him.   
  
"Well he feels cold and clammy and his heart is beating rapidly."  
  
"Lt. Torres, it is very likely from what you told me that he is  
in shock. It is essential that you keep him warm and as  
comfortable as possible until we can beam you on board."  
  
"I understand Doctor."   
  
"We'll be there as soon as possible B'Elanna," the Captain  
informed her.  
  
"Please hurry, Captain, I can't lose him -- not now!" she pleaded  
not caring who was listening on Voyager.   
  
"Take care of him and we'll be there as soon as we can. Captain  
out."  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
The minutes of waiting for Voyager crawled by. B'Elanna had long  
since discarded the powerless regenerator and had crawled in next  
to the pilot on the narrow cot to try to keep him warm while at  
the same time trying not to hurt him. "Just a few more minutes  
Tom, and they'll be here," she said as she tenderly placed her  
hand over his chest to feel that he was still breathing. She  
knew that he couldn't hear her or feel her but she felt better  
trying to offer some degree of comfort. Oh, why couldn't she  
have swallowed her pride and told him how she felt right away?   
Why did she have to listen to Chakotay, when she should have  
listened to her heart?  
  
"Voyager to Lieutenant Torres, prepare for beam out," the  
transporter officer announced.  
  
"We're ready."  
  
The shimmering, tingling, blue light deposited B'Elanna and Tom  
in Sickbay. The Captain and Chakotay were already there waiting  
for the pair's arrival.   
  
"Let me help you get him on one of the biobeds" the First Officer  
offered as he walked over to the pilot not bothering to hide the  
concern he felt for the man he had distrusted as both a Maquis  
and a Starfleet officer.  
  
"Be careful, don't hurt him," B'Elanna warned, "he has those  
lesions over his entire body."  
  
"I'm sure they will be gentle with him Lieutenant. Why don't you  
join me in the hall while the Doctor examines him?" the Captain  
suggested.   
  
  
Chapter 7 - The Battle  
  
The two women had barely entered the hall when all hell broke  
loose. Explosions could be heard and felt and the ship tilted  
severely beneath their feet sending them sprawling to the deck.   
  
"Bridge to the Captain!" Harry Kim's voice desperately rang out  
from Janeway's commbadge.  
  
"I'm on my way, Harry. What the hell is going on?" Janeway asked  
as she pulled herself off the floor and she ran to the nearest  
turbolift with B'Elanna in close pursuit.  
  
"That ship that attacked us two weeks ago is back and this time  
with reinforcements -- two smaller but faster ships."  
  
"It is too bad that Tom is injured," she said to B'Elanna, who  
nodded in agreement. "We could really use him right now."   
  
  
"Carey to Lieutenant Torres, come in."  
  
"This is Torres," B'Elanna replied.  
  
"B'Elanna, I need you down in Engineering as soon as possible.   
The warp core appears to be destabilizing and you're the only one  
who can fix it. Hurry!" Carey yelled above the sound of the  
engines.  
  
B'Elanna fled down the corridor and into the nearest turbolift.   
Then after it reached the Engineering level she dashed out and  
ran down that corridor until she burst through the doors to  
Engineering. Seeing the commotion all around her, she  
instinctively took charge.   
  
"Chief, lock down the turbo thrusters and have Nicoletti route  
all auxiliary power to the starboard generators!" B'Elanna  
shouted as she headed to the warp core controls pushing a young  
Bajoran ensign out of the way. Her fingers flew over the  
controls and she took note at the progress which was minimal.  
  
Carey was impressed by her efficiency and motivation, he knew  
that even though she wasn't Chief yet, she considered Voyager's  
engines hers.   
  
"Vorik, go up to the second level and recalibrate the warp  
regulators and prepare to dump the excess energy out of the aft  
exhaust manifold! NOW!" she yelled exerting the authority that  
was technically Carey's.   
  
"Aye, aye!"  
  
"On my mark, Vorik. Five, four, three, two, one, NOW!" she yelled  
above the roar of the engines.  
  
"Excess energy dumped Lieutenant."  
  
"Lt. Torres," Carey yelled from across the room five minutes  
later. "The core appears to be stabilizing! B'Elanna, we  
couldn't have done it without you!"   
  
"The aliens have retreated," Janeway's voice announced over the  
intercom. "Congratulations everyone. Fine job."  
  
The rest of the engineering crew cheered for Voyager, its crew,  
but mostly for B'Elanna Torres. The half-Klingon actually beamed  
with pride, but then her thoughts flew to the man she had left in  
Sickbay.   
  
Joe approached B'Elanna and noticed her abrupt change in  
attitude. "Nicoletti, you and Vorik continue to stabilize the  
warp core. B'Elanna, my office please."  
  
B'Elanna followed Chief Carey into his office and sat in the  
guest chair as he leaned up against the edge of his cluttered  
desk. "Lieutenant I just wanted to let you know that you really  
demonstrated leadership out there. I'm very impressed and the  
Captain will be too!"  
  
"Thanks."   
  
"What's wrong B'Elanna? You should be happy."  
  
"I am at least about what you said, but Tom was injured on the  
away mission. He's in Sickbay right now and the Doctor is  
working on him," she replied tears starting to well up in her  
beautiful, soulful, brown eyes.   
  
"B'Elanna," Joe said as he held out his arms to her and she  
didn't even hesitate at the offer of comfort and went to him and  
he folded his arms around her to comfort her.  
  
"Oh, Joe, he's hurt. You should see him, his body is covered  
with blisters and lesions from that acidic dust, he can barely  
breathe," she cried her heart breaking, "and he . . . he . .  
told me, told me. . ."  
  
"Take a deep breath. What did he tell you?"  
  
"He . . . he . . . said he loves me. But I couldn't . . .  
couldn't . . ."  
  
"But you couldn't say the words back to him?" he concluded.  
  
B'Elanna nodded her head as heavy sobs wreaked her body causing  
her shoulders to heave as she tried to catch her breath. "And  
now he may die and never know . . ."   
  
"You'll tell him B'Elanna. You will." he said soothingly,  
comforting her as he would have one of his younger sisters.   
Several minutes passed before B'Elanna regained her composure and  
embarrassingly pulled herself away from Carey arms.   
  
"I'm sorry, Joe. Klingons aren't supposed to cry."  
  
"There is nothing to be sorry about. You go get yourself cleaned  
up and then report to Sickbay. Unless an emergency occurs, I  
don't want you to step a foot back in Engineering until Tom's  
better. Do you hear me?"  
  
"I hear you."  
  
"Just because you're half-Klingon doesn't mean you can't cry  
every once in a while after all you're half-human as well and  
there is nothing wrong with that. It is part of you. Now  
B'Elanna get out of here and report to Sickbay until you receive  
further orders before I start crying too."  
  
"Yes, Chief. Right away."  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
B'Elanna cautiously entered Sickbay not wanting to disturb the  
Doctor if he was busy treating Tom. Seeing that the Doctor was  
stripping off his operating coverall, she approached him.   
  
"You had to operate?" she asked speaking to the EMH, but looking  
at the still figure on the biobed.  
  
"Yes, Lieutenant. He wasn't responding to the typical procedures  
so I had to operate to clear the acid out of his respiratory  
tract and to repair the damage it caused. It was a delicate  
procedure, and if I do say so myself, I did a stupendous job!"  
  
"Ah, I'm sure you did, Doctor. So is he going to be okay?"  
  
"He should be. All that I'm waiting for now is for him to wake  
up."  
  
"Do you mind if I sit with him?"  
  
"Not at all," he replied as he pulled a chair over beside the  
pilot's bed. "Here have a seat, but it could be a while."  
  
"I've got time. Thanks."  
  
  
Four and a half hours later she was still sitting in that chair  
holding the pilot's hand between her own, waiting for Tom to  
awaken, thinking of all the things she wanted to say to him.   
Finally, he tentatively opened his eyes and was somewhat  
surprised but nonetheless thrilled to see two beautiful chocolate  
brown eyes looking down at him.  
  
"B'Elanna," he breathed, his voice not even a whisper.  
  
"Ssssh, don't talk too much the Doctor operated on you and one of  
the things he worked on your throat," she explained. "Do you  
understand?"  
  
The patient nodded his blond head and swallowed painfully.  
  
"You have to be quiet, I know that will be hard for you, but  
you'll heal faster if you don't speak. Plus it will give me a  
chance to talk for a change. Okay?" she explained as she reached  
for the glass of water beside his bed and helped him take a sip.  
  
Tom nodded his head again after he drank a little and gave her a  
tired little smile.  
  
"Tom, you know, I thought that this was going to be easy. All  
the while you've been lying there I've been rehearsing what I was  
going to say over and over again in my mind. I guess the only  
way to get it out of my mind is to share it with you. So here it  
goes." she drew a deep breath and clutched his hand tightly in  
both of her's almost afraid that he would leave before she could  
tell him everything. "I've thought what Chakotay said to me  
about staying away from you -- about what I thought I saw in the  
gym. And I've thought about what Carey said that I should trust  
my heart and that we are destined to be together."  
  
Tom mouthed the words "Carey?"  
  
"Yes, Carey. He really is a sweet man, I don't know why I ever  
punched him in the nose. Tom, what I'm trying to say is this.   
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ever listened and took Chakotay's advice.   
If I hadn't listened to him I don't think I would have been so  
quick to judge. I know he thinks he means well, but sometimes he  
still thinks I'm still twenty years old and wet behind the ears.   
Tom, I would like us to start over again if you'll have me. Do  
you think we can do that?" she asked as she raised his hand to  
her mouth and turned it over and placed a kiss on his palm.  
  
He looked at the half-Klingon still beside him in amazement. He  
was getting his wish, she was willing to let him in again, so he  
nodded his head, pulled his hand away from her grip and ran his  
fingers lovingly down her forehead ridges and down the side of  
her soft cheek. "Yes, B'Elanna," he whispered. "Oh, yes."  
  
She rested her cheek against his chest relieved that they could  
be together again, she had missed him so much. "Thank Kahless,  
Tom. I thought you'd say no."  
  
Tom kept on stroking her face and her silken hair as silent tears  
of relief coursed their way down his pale cheeks. He wouldn't  
rush her he vowed. While he had admitted his love to her, he  
knew that she wasn't ready to make that much of an admission yet.   
But in time, if he was lucky for a change, maybe she would.  
  
  
They stayed in that position for quite a while until B'Elanna  
noticed that his hand had stilled and he was just about asleep  
again -- but this time with a slight smile to his lips.  
  
"I'm going to let you rest now. I have to get some sleep myself  
before my shift tomorrow," she explained as she rose from her  
chair. "When you're better how about we try that Crestwood Trail  
holoprogram again? Okay?"  
  
"Okay," he whispered his voice raspy and sore.  
  
"Now sssh, and I'll see you tomorrow," she admonished and bent  
down and blessed him with a tender, promising kiss on his lips.  
  
Tom Paris drifted off to sleep again and dreamed sweet dreams of  
one half-Klingon engineer.  
  
  
Chapter 8 - The Chief  
  
"Lt. Carey, please come in," the Captain said as she heard the  
familiar 'breep' of her Ready Room announcer.   
  
"Thank you, Captain."  
  
"Please sit down," she offered. "What's the matter Joe?   
Something wrong down in Engineering?" she asked noticing the  
looked of trepidation on his face.  
  
"Well no, nothing is wrong per se Captain. It's just that it's  
time."  
  
"Time?" she asked not immediately catching on.  
  
"Yes, I believe you remember the discussion we had when I was  
named Chief Engineer of the two crews back at the beginning of  
our voyage?"  
  
"I do. So you're telling me it is time for B'Elanna to assume  
the duties you have been fulfilling?"  
  
Carey nodded.  
  
"But Joe you're doing so well, are you sure you want to  
relinquish the title so quickly?"  
  
"If it were just me Captain, I'd probably tell you 'no,' but I  
have the ship to think about. I have to think what is best for  
everyone on this ship if we are ever going to get back home."  
  
"And what is best for Voyager is B'Elanna Torres to become Chief  
Engineer?" she asked wanting him to be sure that he was ready to  
step down.  
  
"It is Captain," he replied firmly with not a hint of doubt in  
his voice. "She is not only a better engineer than I am, but she  
is also very resourceful and motivated. Voyager's engines have  
long since stopped being my engines, they have been adopted by  
Lt. Torres. She makes them sing."  
  
"You're sure? What about her temper?"  
  
"I believe you'll find that she's changed, especially lately.   
Oh, she'll still have her temper, but I believe she has learned  
to channel that anger to work for her to drive her and the   
motivate the engineering crew. You should see her  
Captain, she doesn't know it, not yet, but she already is in  
command down there. During the battle yesterday, she even  
ordered me around," he laughed and willingly explained to his  
Captain all that had transpired the other day.   
  
"You seem proud of her?"  
  
"I believe I am. In the beginning," he said rubbing his nose for  
effect, "I never would have thought that I'd be singing her  
praises, but here I am. I not only respect her Captain, but I've  
come to think of her as my Delta Quadrant sister. I consider  
her part of my family."  
  
"And the rest of the crew? How do you think they'll take it?"  
  
"I'll speak with them, but I don't think that they will have any  
problems calling her 'Chief.' They all respect her."  
  
"I'm glad to see that, Joe. How about we schedule a meeting   
with the senior staff and B'Elanna for 0700 in two days -- that   
should allow ample time for Tom to be released from Sickbay. We  
wouldn't want him to miss it."  
  
"No, we wouldn't," Carey agreed with a smile on his face.  
  
"Good. Then I'll see you there, you can invite B'Elanna but don't  
tell her why, I'd like to surprise her."  
  
"Aye, aye, Captain."  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
What did I do now? B'Elanna wondered as she rode the turbolift  
up the bridge level. Maybe they were finally getting around to  
demote her for punching Wilkins in the bar a few weeks ago? No  
that didn't seem right, they wouldn't have waited so long. So  
what could it be?  
  
The turbolift finally stopped at the bridge and the doors slid  
opened. B'Elanna stepped out and noticed from the personnel on  
the bridge that the senior staff were apparently already in the  
Ready Room waiting for her. Great, I'm probably already in hot  
water and now I'm running late she mused as the entered the room  
and found a seat conveniently located next to Tom and Harry on  
the far side of the table.   
  
Noticing the look of anxiety on her face, Tom reached under the  
table and grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze that  
said 'it's alright, I'm here for you.' B'Elanna smiled at him  
grateful for his presence just as Janeway started to speak.  
  
"Good morning everyone. B'Elanna, I'm glad you could make it. I  
wanted everyone present this morning. First of all I wanted to  
congratulate everyone again for their efforts during the battle a  
couple of days ago. It was touch and go for a while, but through  
inspired leadership," she explained looking at B'Elanna, "Voyager  
triumphed again."  
  
So that is it, she's mad at me for usurping Carey's command in  
Engineering during the battle. But then why is the entire senior  
staff here, Janeway wouldn't yell at me or demote me in front of  
everyone. Would she? B'Elanna thought, now thoroughly confused.  
  
"I had a meeting with Chief Carey yesterday," Janeway related,  
"regarding a meeting we had along with the Commander at the  
beginning of our voyage. If you recall when the two crews,  
Maquis and Starfleet, were joined I decided against certain  
recommendations," she said glancing at her First Officer, "and I  
decided that Lt. Carey should retain his position of Chief  
Engineer. What you do not know is that after that meeting when  
the decision was made, the three of us had a follow-up meeting  
which we determined that if, and when, Lt. Torres was ready that  
she would be considered for the Chief Engineer's position. Chief  
Carey informed me as of yesterday that she is more than qualified  
and ready and he is more than willing to relinquish his position  
to Lt. Torres. In fact he told me that Voyager's engine's are no  
longer his they are her's. Congratulations Lieutenant Torres."  
  
"Chief? You want me to be chief?" she asked still not sure she  
had heard the Captain correctly.   
  
"Yes, B'Elanna. Do you think you can do the job?" the Captain  
asked.  
  
"Yes, Captain. I can do the job," she replied and thinking of  
Carey turned to face him. "Of course, I may need a little  
guidance from my big brother Joe occasionally."   
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
"You're one cruel woman, you know that B'Elanna," Tom grumbled as  
he followed her brisk pace up the trail. It had been a little  
over two weeks since he had been operated on and he was finally  
feeling more like himself, but he still wasn't ready for an  
almost-jog up the trail. "Come on, Bea, slow down just a little  
so I can catch up!"  
  
"What can't keep up with me Helmboy?" B'Elanna asked as she  
turned around on the trail and paused to wait for him and was  
rewarded with a passionate kiss for her troubles.   
  
"Why are you so much in a hurry today, B'Elanna?"  
  
"Oh, no particular reason," she replied coyly.  
  
"Re--al--ly?" he questioned with a look that said 'you're hiding  
something from me aren't you?' but she only responded with  
delightful laughter which intrigued him even more.  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
The last couple of weeks had been divine. B'Elanna and he had  
gotten much closer. They had spent hours hiking the Crestwood  
Trail adding more trails and more detail while at the same time   
getting to know each other better -- talking and touching --  
taking it slow and savoring every precious moment they were  
together. Every day the protective walls that they had built  
around them over the years became lower and lower, at least when  
they were together. B'Elanna not only related stories to Tom  
about her childhood, her father's abandonment, her mother's  
disgust at her human side, but also of how men had treated her   
in the past. Likewise Tom did the same, sharing difficult  
memories of his domineering father, his mother's death, Caldik  
Prime, and prison. Each found it easier than they could have  
imagined to share their past and pain with the other. But still  
B'Elanna hadn't told Tom the three little words he was longing to  
hear.  
  
  
*** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ *** ^^^ ***  
  
  
He was even more sure that something was up when they passed her  
'favorite spot' and continued to climb and when they finally  
reached the top and started to descend down the other side,  
B'Elanna led him down a new path, and he was sure that she had  
something special planned.  
  
"Where are you taking me, Bea?" he asked as they entered into a  
wooded area where the trail snaked in and out of the trees.   
  
"You'll find out. You wouldn't want me to spoil the surprise  
would you?"  
  
"I wouldn't?"  
  
"No trust me, you wouldn't. Come on, it's not much further."  
  
They walked another ten minutes or so when in a distance Tom  
could make out the sound of running water, as they got closer the  
sounds became louder until B'Elanna and he walked around a  
boulder in the path and stepped into an opening. There before  
them was a lovely waterfall which spilled into a sparkling blue  
pool of water which was trimmed with B'Elanna's favorite wild  
flowers. On the ground beside the pool, a tablecloth was spread  
out with a picnic basket resting on top of it.  
  
"Wow! You've got to holo-program more often, Bea. You did a  
fantastic job!" Tom said as the swung her around in his arms and  
embraced her.   
  
"Thanks, I'm glad you like it. So do you want to eat first,  
there is bread, fruit, cheese, and a Merlot that Carey  
recommended, or would you like to go for a swim?"  
  
"A swim? I didn't even bring my swim trunks?"  
  
"Who says that that has got to stop us?" she purred and began  
unbuttoning his shirt.   
  
"B'Elanna, I'm shocked what kind of guy do you think I am?" he  
replied with mock disgust.  
  
"Oh, I don't know," she said as she slowly unbuttoned the rest of  
the shirt, slipped the shirt off his shoulders and brought her  
hands up to cup both sides of his face as she gazed into his blue  
eyes. "I think you're the man I love."  
  
Tom did a double take, if this had been a holo-vid he would have  
requested a re-cue just to make sure he had heard her  
correctly.   
  
Noticing his questioning look, B'Elanna pulled his head down to  
hers to give him a long wet kiss before she pulled away from his  
lips and nibbled his ear lobe. "I said, Tom Paris, that I love  
you. Now what are you going to do about it?" she whispered with  
a slight purr in her throat.  
  
"Well let's see, I could stop the program and broadcast that  
statement over the ship's intercom?"  
  
B'Elanna pinched him on the arm.  
  
"Owww! No? Okay, I could go see Joe Carey and thank him for  
playing matchmaker?"  
  
She pulled his exposed chest hair.  
  
"Ouchh! No? Not that then. Well, how about I strip you naked  
and we both go swimming and check out what might be behind that  
waterfall?   
  
"That's what I was hoping for," she replied crinkling her nose at  
him and slightly baring her teeth.  
  
"I love you, B'Elanna. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Tom."  
  
  
  
Epilogue - Four years later.  
  
"Do it again, do it again, Daddy!!" little K'Elli Paris squealed  
as Tom threw her up in the air and caught her again around the  
waist just before her petite toes touched the cool sparkling  
water.   
  
"Alright but just one more time."  
  
"Higher, higher!" the little girl pleaded has her proud father  
tossed her up in the air one last time.  
  
"Come on pun-kin let's go join Mommy on the beach." he suggested  
as he caught his bundle of joy again and kissed her little pert  
nose. Little K'Elli at three years old was the spitting image of  
her mother, except that her forehead ridges were less pronounced  
and she had her father's bright blue eyes.   
  
"Do we have to?" she playfully pouted, a facial expression  
inherited from her Dad.  
  
"Yep short-stuff, I understand Mommy's got your favorite lunch  
waiting for you."  
  
"Peanee butter and fuff?"  
  
"Yep.   
  
"Oh, boy, let's go! I'm hungry!"  
  
Do you want to try and swim back?"  
  
"Uh, huh. You hold me Daddy and I'll kick real hard."  
  
Tom placed his hands around her little waist while K'Elli kicked  
and wailed her arms in the water as he waded to shore supporting  
his precious little girl between his hands.  
  
  
"Just look at them Kathryn," Chakotay said pointing Tom and  
K'Elli out to his new bride.   
  
"Hard to believe that is the same Tom Paris that first came  
aboard Voyager five years ago isn't it?" she remarked.  
  
"I could say the same for B'Elanna. She's a wife and proud  
mother of one energetic three-year-old and another one on the  
way."  
  
"Sssh," his new wife said as she tilted her head closer to him.   
"Did you know that there are rumors that she is carrying twins?"  
  
"Twins?" Chakotay's eyes opened wide in amazement. "That'll keep  
them hopping!"   
  
"Hopping and happy."  
  
"That's just fine with me. I can't believe I ever thought that  
he wasn't worthy of B'Elanna. I must have been . . ."  
  
"Jealous?" she finished.  
  
"Jealous? . . . No. Not jealous, maybe envious though. Four  
years ago they were just finding and expressing their happiness,  
and while I knew you were the one for me, I didn't know what to  
say or what to do.  
  
"But you do now?"  
  
"I've had some good teachers." he explained looking at Tom and  
B'Elanna.  
  
  
The End of Story (not end of text)  
  
  
Don't you love fluff? Particularly with a little peanut butter  
on top!   
  
Sub-story:  
  
"Captain, there's a message coming through from the Alpha  
Quadrant!" Kim shouted anxiously from his comm station.  
"Well, put it through Mr. Kim, before you have a heart  
attack!" Janeway ordered.  
"Yes, ma'am (wasn't it crunch time?). It's a message from  
the year 1998 with attached text. The text is too long to read  
out loud so I'll download it. Here is the message though," Harry  
replied as his fingers flew over the controls.  
  
To anyone who reads this text. Hope you liked my story.  
Please send e-mail to kelhapam@lr.net and let the author  
know if you liked it -- she loves e-mail!! Also, please let   
me know where you are writing from as I'm keeping a log.  
  
"Apparently this message is from a person who is suffering  
from an inferiority complex, with a desperate desire to travel  
and learn more about the universe," Tuvok determined.  
Paris turned around to address the Vulcan. "You make the  
author sound like a nut case," he concluded with an expression of  
disgust on his face. "All she is asking for is that someone take  
the time to send her a little note, not a Pulitzer Prize."  
"I agree with my Tommy boy," B'Elanna piped up from the  
engineering station fluttering her long dark eyelashes at the  
pilot, to which he responded to by blowing her a kiss.  
Janeway and Chakotay looked at each other laughed and nodded  
their concurrence to Paris' statement.   
"Ensign Kim. Please distribute the downloaded text to all  
crewmembers and request that they all respond at their earliest  
opportunity," the Captain ordered  
"Aye, aye, Captain."  
  
Really the End -- Really.  
  
Please email the author at kelhapam@lr.net. 


End file.
